Nancy Pelosi: "Elections Shouldn't Matter as Much as They Do"

On April 8, 2011, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., spoked to a packed house at Cohen Auditorum on the Campus of Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

Here's a few excerpts from what she said:

On elections:

“The fact is, is that, elections shouldn’t matter as much as they do, there should be some place on the spectrum where we respect each others views and all that. But there comes to a place where there doesn’t seem to be shared values, then that can be a problem for the country, as I think you can see right now.”

"Try to make sure that the values that I'm sure we all share are reflected in the choice you make. Another I way I would say to my Republican friends: Take back your party, so it doesn't matter so much who wins the election because we have shared values about the education of our children, the growth of our economy, how we defend our country, have civil liberties, how we respect our seniors."

On a government shutdown:

"It's really unfair to the American people," Pelosi said. "It will create a level of payouts that is unworthy, if it were to shut down. It's not a tactic or a strategy that is worthy of the aspirations of the American people."

For more on her visit: